Jeff Ryder: GM Defense Arm Eyes Addressable Military Vehicle, Tech Market

Jeff Ryder, vice president of growth and strategy at General Motors’ defense unit, said GM Defense sees a $25B market in developing new military products based on the parent company’s existing vehicles, technologies and parts, CNBC reported Monday.

“That’s an addressable market that we feel we have a right to win and pursue. And that’s what we’re doing,” said Ryder.

He told CNBC that GM Defense is focusing on battery-electric vehicles and other near-term opportunities and added that “electric vehicles are a very, very real conversation right now.” 

GM is investing $27B in electric vehicles and powertrains and autonomous systems through 2025 and Ryder said those are technologies the military needs.

In June, GM Defense received a $214.3M contract to manufacture and maintain infantry squad vehicles for the U.S. Army.

The Detroit-based automaker relaunched GM Defense in 2017 more than a decade after selling for $1.1B a previous defense unit to General Dynamics.